Say I Do
by Liz Hollow
Summary: Lyra always wanted a big white wedding, but instead, she got stuck marrying her best friend - for whom she has no romantic feelings - at City Hall just so he could afford to live. Literally. She's still determined to get her dream wedding, but when she has to put up the appearance of being married, that dream might be a nightmare away. [Discontinued]
1. The Engagement

**Chapter One – The Engagement**

As a little girl, I dreamed of the day that I walked down that long aisle towards the man I loved and said, "I do."

No, really. By age eight, I was grabbing my mom's bridal magazines to which she subscribed—as if _she_ needed them—and circling the dresses I liked. It was actually a problem. I spent more time looking at wedding venues than doing my homework, so needless to say, my grades slipped down the drain. _Ploop, ploop, ploop_. Away they went.

My mom always said that my obsession stemmed from the fact that I didn't have a father figure in my life, and I obviously wanted to understand what it was like to have a family.

That was ridiculous. I was eight. I liked the dresses and the flowers and the shiny things.

But, as it happens, time passed. I left on my journey to "find myself", as the adults liked to call it, and became the Champion of the Indigo League and the strongest trainer in all of Johto and Kanto. Between traveling by myself around the country, battling strangers on the side of the road who gave me their money when I beat them—probably out of fear—and saving the region from a crackpot team of psychopathic thieves, I didn't exactly have time for relationships.

Now, here I was, twenty-two years old, and I was still single, single, single. The weird thing was, though, that despite my crazed delusions of grandeur—i.e. my innocent desire to be married by the age of ten—I didn't really care anymore. I wasn't rushing to find a husband. In fact, I'd be perfectly happy by myself.

So, how exactly did I end up with a marriage license with my name on it?

* * *

It was a day like any other. Literally. I woke up at seven o'clock, went to my gym in Mahogany Town—which I had taken over after Pryce's retirement—flew back home at four, and ate dinner with my mom. It was around eight in the evening when my best friend rang the doorbell and Mom called me down from my room.

"Ethan… What's up?" I greeted when I saw him, and he smiled a little awkwardly at me. It wasn't genuine. I had known him for years, so I could tell. Instead, his eyes were a little narrowed, his nose slightly scrunched, and his front teeth were more visible than usual. I wondered if he was aware of how ridiculous he looked.

My mom excused herself and headed back to the living room, leaving Ethan and I alone in the doorway. "Can we talk? Maybe take a walk?" Ethan requested in hushed tones.

There was something suspicious going on. So much for my day like any other.

I humored him nonetheless. The first couple minutes of our walk, in the time that it took us to get to the edge of town, were silent. I grabbed the hem of my jacket, shuffling my feet as we moved. This was intentional—his sulk, however, wasn't. I didn't think he noticed how awkward this was because otherwise he'd talk.

I'd known him since my childhood. We used to play house together and have fake battles with our little figurines. One time I even got his mom to dress him up in a suit for a play wedding, and when our parents weren't looking, I snuck a kiss. He pushed me down when I did that, but I didn't hold it against him.

We had been through a lot together, so to see him like this troubled me.

"Uh, Ethan…"

His hands shook as he curled them into fists, and he stopped walking. "Will you marry me, Lyra?" he practically shouted.

"What the fuck?" I laughed, pushing his shoulder and continuing forward down the forest path. When I glanced back, he hadn't started walking again. Instead, he had sunk to his knees, and his face was pressed against his palms. Any hint of amusement on my face faded away into horror, and I stepped back towards him.

I… didn't understand. It wasn't as if we had ever dated. That kiss as seven-year-olds had been the only one between us. I loved him, certainly, but only platonically. If he was serious… there was no way I could say yes.

"Ethan, I don't—"

"I'm broke!" he cried, dropping his hands from his face. I wasn't following. How did one thing lead to the other? "I'm broke—I can't afford my apartment, my roommate dropped out on me and blew off the contract, and I guess I could sue him but I don't have the money for that. And I can't afford any of my insurance or taxes or…"

He looked up at me finally, tears welling in his eyes, but all I could do was stare at him. I still didn't get how this had anything to do with me and _marrying_ him. That would be like marrying my Typhlosion—disturbing and uncomfortable.

Perhaps this was more socially acceptable, but there were some sick freaks out there. Just putting it out there.

"You, uh, want me to give you a loan?"

"I won't ever be able to pay you back." He sighed and grabbed my hand, and I couldn't help but feel how badly he shook. "There are family discounts at my apartment complex, and I know for a fact that there's a tax break for married couples. As a single guy with a crappy job, I can't afford to live the way I am now—but I budgeted it out, and if I was married…"

It finally clicked. Marriage benefits… he wanted me to marry him just for the financial benefits? That… that was crazy—genius, I had to admit, but still crazy. There was just… no way that I could do this for him.

"You want me to give you a loan?" I repeated.

"Lyra, I'm begging you. If you just stick with me until I get a better job or something—or until I meet someone else even," he pleaded. I was still leaning towards a loan. Heck, I had money that I could afford to give away, and I would to him! But I knew that deep down it was a pride thing for him. Stupid.

Gah. What was I supposed to do? He was my best friend, and he was literally on his knees begging me to do this for him. If things were going to be exactly the same—just with a little piece of paper saying I was married—then… I could. But if things were all going to change, then what could I possibly do?

"You're not in love with me, are you?" I asked, and his eyebrows rose. "Or going to fall in love with me? To be honest, I don't want to be a part of a trope."

He shook his head a little violently so that his heavily-gelled hair shifted. "Lyra, no. I'm gay."

Well, damn, that went to show how well I knew my best friend. Twenty-two freaking years, and I didn't even know my best friend swung for the same team as I did. Maybe he was the reason I never had a boyfriend. That would explain a lot.

"You didn't tell me?" This was so much to take in. I was going to lose it. Hyperventilation soon, I could feel it. "So…" I took a deep breath. "No chance you'll have feelings for me?"

Ethan shook his head frantically once again. "Zero."

Ah, shit… Why me? Was I really going to agree to this?

"Fine. Yes, fine, I'll marry you, Ethan. But as soon as you get back on your feet and can afford taxes like a normal person, I'm divorcing the fuck out of you, got it?" I flicked a finger against his forehead, and he jumped up from his knees and wrapped his arms around me. I couldn't breathe—I couldn't—

"Sorry, sorry. I don't have a ring. Obviously. Can't afford one."

"I don't want one," I assured him.

"We're going to need to tell your mom. And my parents. They should come to the wedding. Well, you know," he corrected, "not the _wedding_, but the elopement, I suppose. At City Hall or whatever. Oh, and you should probably move into my apartment. Rent should be less than you're paying your mom to stay at home."

What did I just get myself into? All of my dreams of a big white wedding with lots of family and friends and flowers and a huge dress with a gigantic train and a beautiful veil and—no, I was getting ahead of myself. I could still have all of that once Ethan and I got divorced. But who the hell would want to date me or him while we were _married_?

I'd have to pray he got a better job, then. And fast. If I wanted to get married before I turned thirty—which, you know, was questionable enough as it was. This was a good alternative.

Right? Always look on the bright side of life?

I wanted to cry. Why me? Why me of all the unlucky bastards on this planet?

We walked back to town, and Ethan blathered on about something as we walked. I couldn't focus. My head spun, and I could barely see where I was walking. To focus on what he was saying would only make my headache worse. I was doing him a favor by not listening—that way he'd actually have a bride.

When we made it to my house and opened my door, I was surprised to see him walking inside ahead of me. "Ethan, what—"

"We have to tell her together. Here, give me your hand." He held his out towards me, and I stared at it with wide eyes. It was just a hand. I had held it hundreds of times and never thought of it. But now, I felt like I wanted to vomit. Was this how every girl felt when she got engaged, or was this just me?

I groaned, but I grabbed his hand, anyway. We walked together into the living room, where my mom was, and stood in front of the television. My mom's eyes flickered from our faces to our interlocked fingers back to our faces. I would have the same reaction.

"Uh, Mother…" Ethan squeezed my hands, and I wanted to cry. "I'm getting married."

She raised her eyebrows. "To whom?"

I glanced at Ethan, and then at our hands, and then back at my mom. When her expression didn't change, I stared at her with a scrunched face. "Uh… Ethan, Mom. Who do you think? You think I'd come into the house holding hands with Ethan and announce that I'm engaged to someone else, Mom? Who does that?"

"I didn't even know you were dating."

Touché. How did Ethan plan on explaining _that_?

On the one hand, we _could_ just tell the truth. I mean, would my mom believe that? Probably not. She'd sooner believe that we were genuinely in love and wanted to seriously get married.

"We've been dating for several months," Ethan responded, and my mom nodded slowly—so slowly that it was clear she didn't believe that, either. "But, of course, I've known her my whole life, so I know this may seem fast, but—"

My mom shrugged, and Ethan immediately stopped talking. Really? Did my mom want to sell me off that quickly? I was so ashamed…

"Congratulations. Both of you. I didn't have a clue, but if you're happy, I'm happy for you." Mom stood up and hugged the both of us, and I glared at the wall. Maybe I was looking for an excuse to retract my offer. "Do you have any ideas on when the wedding might be?"

"We're, uh, eloping," I said quickly.

"Next week."

I nodded. "Next week—_next week_?" I shot Ethan a look, and he shot one back. "Ah, yes, next week. As soon as possible… ASAP, as they call it. Soon. Because we are so in love and can't _wait_ even, you know, a month. So much love here."

Ethan chuckled awkwardly. "And Lyra's going to move in with me, right, darling?"

Darling? Oh, gag me. Please. End this misery.

"Absolutely," I agreed with a forced smile. "Also ASAP."

My mom nodded, but her lips were pursed. She wasn't believing any of this. And it wasn't as if this would be the first time Ethan and I had pulled a prank on her. Once we replaced all of the contents of her purse with cold spaghetti, and she screamed like a banshee when she reached in to grab a tissue. It was the greatest.

"Well, if you're happy, I'm happy. If you need me to do any preparations or anything, you just let me know. And I'll send your mom a message, Ethan, and ask her if there's anything I can do, all right?" My mom smiled now, though it wasn't quite contrived. "Congratulations, again. I can't believe my little girl is getting married!"

I turned away and rolled my eyes. "Thanks, Mom," I muttered, and with that, I pulled Ethan out of my house and slammed the door in his face.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So, it's a bit ambitious of me to write two multi-chapter fics at the same time, but I'll attempt it. I've been wanting to write a humorous fic for awhile. Totally a fan of this old "two people without feelings for each other get married" cliché, but I wanted to write it with a twist. Enjoy!


	2. I Do (Not)

**Chapter Two – I Do (Not)**

My mom was insistent that Ethan and I not do things half-assed, even if everything else about our new engagement was. With less than a week to plan things for a marriage that didn't even matter to me, I was suddenly rushed into picking out a dress, a cake, a bouquet, and rings, though only because I wanted them and because I knew people would judge if we didn't have them.

I found a little white dress at a nice boutique in the town down from mine, and my mom decided on a little ice cream cake at a sweet shop next door. Along with all of these decisions, which Ethan's mom also thought were wise, my mom had elected herself wedding planner and planned a small reception after the elopement. Ethan, awkwardly as ever, smiled through her announcement and shot me petrified looks from the other side of the room.

Hey, he signed up for this. I didn't know what he wanted me to say.

Because I knew that this was all temporary, I wasn't entirely bothered by this. It was practice, I decided, for my real wedding—the one to a man who was preferably attracted to me, or at least could be, and didn't guilt me into it. But, you know, beggars can't be choosers. Who was I to expect something normal? That'd be way too selfish. Obviously.

I knew that the worst part of all of this was going to be explaining the situation to everyone. My mom and Ethan's mom were fast to believe in our engagement, but my friends? Ha, ha, no. Just… no. I told them everything. If I had a boyfriend, they would be the first to know. It'd be much harder to convince them.

Which was just another reason why I felt that the rings were so important. I stole—all right, asked for—Ethan's ring size from his mother and bought two pretty cheap silver bands from the jewelry store. It would be my gift, and by gift I meant ring-that-Ethan-would-accept-and-wear-because-I-said-so, and we would be a happy couple.

Sure, we wouldn't be sleeping together (literally or figuratively) or doing anything else married couples did, but I was willing to bet that we'd still be more happily married than most couples these days.

I blinked, and it was time. I wasn't sure how time passed so quickly, but all of a sudden I was in my little white dress holding my bouquet of flowers and thinking how I was an absolute idiot.

Huh, now that I thought about it, the only thing different was that I was holding flowers.

Well, this was for a friend, right? How much of an idiot could I be if I was just trying to save my best friend from a world of debt and bankruptcy? He would have to return the favor to me someday, anyway, and by the time that day came, I would collect enough interest that he'd have to return it tenfold.

Oh, how I looked forward to that day. The things I'd make that boy do…

I stifled a maniacal laugh and took a deep breath instead. I'd have to make it through this day before I could even think about vengeance.

"Lyra, honey." My mom knocked on my door only after she opened it, and I looked at her through the reflection in my mirror. "Are you ready? Ethan and his parents are here."

"Mm," I hummed in response, and my mom stepped closer into the room.

She walked up to me and stood by my side, her hand around my waist as she stared at our reflections. "Lyra, you look beautiful," she told me, and I smiled. It wasn't exactly what I expected, not the big ball gown I wanted, not the up-do I had in mind, but if she thought I was beautiful, maybe I was. "Listen, you don't have to do this if you're not ready."

Ah. So, she _did_ see my anxiety. Not that I had a choice about this anymore.

"I _am_ ready," I assured her, but the smile that followed came off more like a grimace. "I love Ethan."

That part was true, at least. Maybe I didn't love him romantically, and maybe he would never love me like that, but I _did_ love him. That wouldn't change one way or another by the time the day was over. I'd still love him exactly the same.

Yeah… not too much would change. I was keeping my last name, and our bank accounts would remain separate. I had my own room at his apartment, where I would be moving tonight, as well as my own bathroom. I was still going to go to work, he was still going to work, and it was all good. The only differences would be the discounts on insurance, which we would have to share, and the rings.

So, I bounded down the stairs with my mom, where Ethan and his parents were waiting in the living room. He smiled at me, not exactly the look I expected from my groom upon seeing his beautiful bride, but it was enough. Ethan's mom cried enough for all of us in the room, anyway. She had been okay with this whole thing, but I knew she wanted more.

You and me both, woman. You and me both.

Ethan looked nice, though, in his pressed suit and combed hair. I had to admit, he would make someone a good husband one day.

We all drove down to the city hall, and if that ride wasn't uncomfortable enough, standing in front of the justice definitely was. The sniffles coming from behind us were a bit distracting, and the justice once asked me something that I didn't even hear.

"I realize this isn't exactly the traditional setting, but…" The justice lowered his script and smiled at us once he finished. "You can kiss the bride, if you want."

I glanced at Ethan, and Ethan glanced at me. It was like music to my ears as we simultaneously announced, "No, thanks."

Our parents groaned behind us. "Oh, come on. Don't mind because we're watching! Go for it! It's practically required," my mom ordered with surprising force, and I winced a little. I never would have thought the day would come that my mom encouraged me to kiss a guy. Eh, at least she wasn't encouraging more.

I turned back to Ethan and gave him a pointed look, and he sighed. He could _at least_ put up appearances, seriously.

We leaned towards each other. The kiss was barely a peck, just our lips touching, and we immediately pulled back and hugged instead. It was enough to earn a cheer from my parents, even though the kiss was hardly better than ours as kids. In fact, it was probably worse. But I hadn't kissed anyone in a long time, so I didn't exactly know.

My mom walked over to us and handed Ethan a box wrapped in white paper. His eyebrows furrowed, but I just nodded at him. With a little hesitance, he tore the paper off and opened the box, revealing the two silver wedding bands I picked out.

"Lyra?" he questioned.

"You put on mine, I put on yours. 'Kay?"

He swallowed, but he pulled the larger of the two bands out and handed it to me. He handed the box back to my mom and held onto the smaller band, and we carefully fit them onto our ring fingers of our left hands.

A symbol, right?

Rings seemed better than handcuffs.

"Pictures! We need pictures!" our parents shouted, and Ethan and I appeased them. We posed all lovey-dovey, leaning our foreheads against each other, Ethan holding me, everything that a normal couple might do. And in every single picture, I made sure that my ring was visible in the shot because I wanted the reminder.

Once our love—oh, boy, kill me now—was sufficiently documented, we got back in the car and headed out to the restaurant where our small reception would be. I wanted to spend as much time here as possible, mostly because after this, I was officially living with Ethan. All of my stuff had already been brought over thanks to the mover Pokémon, at least.

I changed my mind a little when I walked into the reception hall, though. I wanted to leave now.

I had no part of the planning of this reception, and given the short notice, I didn't expect that many people to show up. But all of the Johto gym leaders and some of the Kanto leaders had made it, and even Koga and Karen of the Elite Four came. Lance, the Champion who preceded me—complete with cape—was here, too. But there, in the back of the group, I could make out the shadowy appearance of a certain rival leaning against the wall.

The volume of the cheering as Ethan and I entered deafened me temporarily, and I forced a smile at the crowd. How awkward.

"Ethan," I hissed through my smile.

"Yes?" he hissed back.

"I could kill you right now."

He laughed and threw an arm over my shoulders (which triggered more cheers, seriously? Did these people have no lives?). "You know I have nothing to do with this, my love."

"Don't call me that. I _will_ destroy you."

He let go of me and backed away, holding his arms out as he retreated towards the crowd. "It's all for the show, right? That's what the rings are all about?" He waggled his fingers at me, and I narrowed my eyes. Was he _annoyed_ by the rings? Really? I was doing him a favor, saving us from questions! "I can do that."

He spun around and ran towards the crowd of people, high-fiving people and hugging strangers and finding his friends somewhere in there. I walked a little more slowly, a little more hesitantly. I was confused. Did he not _ask_ me to do this for him? Wasn't it all about the show?

I managed a smile and dove into the crowd, too. "Beautiful," a couple of my peers whispered to me with kisses on the cheek, and Karen winked and said, "Nice dress." It felt like I _was_ being received as a bride, and it brought a flush to my face—it was the first thing about all of this to feel real.

Until I got to my redheaded friend in the back.

"I don't get it." His dark eyes flashed dangerously, and I grimaced. "What's the punchline?"

"We'll talk later, Silver," I assured him, even though I was pretty sure it was a lie. But if anyone was going to figure this mess out, it was him. He wasn't going to be fooled by the wedding rings or the marriage license. If Ethan knew me the best out of everyone on this planet, then Silver knew me second-best. He said he didn't get it, but I'd bet anything he did.

He smirked and shrugged, as if it didn't make any difference to him when I told him—he just wanted to know. He pissed me off—always had. I just… kind of liked it.

All right, I was kind of a masochist… but I was pretty sure Silver was a sadist.

It kind of made us a perfect pair.

I was pulled away by the crowd and forced to sit at a table with Ethan, but I could hardly take my eyes off of Silver. I couldn't help but wonder how many other people here had already figured out this was all a farce, however legal it was. They'd all be so disappointed when Ethan and I divorced, but that was a chance I was willing to take.

Maybe we were ruining the sanctity of marriage. Maybe that was why I felt a little guilty.

"Lyra. Lyra, hey."

I blinked myself back into reality and stared at my mother, who was passing the microphone off to me now that dinner was done. I opened my mouth and shook my head, unable to force any words, but my mom shoved the mic into my hands regardless.

Uh. Okay.

"H-hello. Thanks for coming," I said quickly and started to hand the mic off to Ethan. He held his hands up, and I pouted. "Okay. Um, thank you for coming despite the short notice. I've always done things at my own pace, haven't I, which happens to be a little fast?" Cue laughter, cue laughter… Okay, good. "Ethan's my best friend, and doesn't every girl want to marry her best friend?"

_Awwww_. Perfect. No one suspected a thing.

Except Silver, who was sat at his table just across from mine and Ethan's with an eyebrow raised. Damn him.

"Thanks again, everyone. Now, uh, I really have to go to the bathroom. Excuse me."

Laughter ensued again, and I used the opportunity to send a telepathic message to Silver—well, not really. I kind of twitched my head towards the door and hoped he would get the message. Except I also hoped he delayed a bit because I really did have to go to the bathroom.

Sure enough, when I walked out of the ladies' room, Silver was waiting just down the hall. I hurried over and grabbed his arm, pulling him outside where a couple of strangers were smoking. This wouldn't look suspicious, right?

"This is complete bullshit. You know that, right, Lyra? Who do you think you're fooling?"

"Well, clearly not you," I muttered. Yep, he got me good. I bit my tongue, staring at one of the smokers for a moment as I tried to figure out where to start. "Listen, it's really complicated. I'm not going to share all of the reasons because they're not mine to share. All you need to know is that I'm doing him a favor. That's it."

He smirked again. "What kind of favor?"

Gross. Gross. Gross. Ethan was my _friend_.

"Not that kind." I sighed, putting my hands on my hips. Was _any_ of this Silver's business? "It's only temporary. But this doesn't have anything to do with you, so… don't get so worked up about it. And _don't_ tell anyone. For all intents and purposes, this marriage is just as real as every other marriage. Minus… you know."

Silver rolled his eyes. "Do you love him?"

"Not like that, and I'm not going to. Trust me." If only he knew. But, again, not my secret to tell—obviously Ethan hadn't told anyone else yet, and there had to be a reason for that.

"You're looking at the short term. You'll—"

"Ah, Lyra, there you are!"

Whitney, one of the fellow gym leaders, ran outside and smiled. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but your mom is looking for you. They want you to toss the bouquet now, and the cake is going to be served, too." She glanced between Silver and me and furrowed her eyebrows. "Do you smoke?"

I glanced back at the two men smoking and pointed towards them. "Oh, no, I—"

"Whatever, come on!" Whitney grabbed my arm and tugged me back inside, but I didn't hear Silver's footsteps behind us. When I looked back, he was already letting his Crobat lead him away.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I don't know why, but I keep typing "bridge" instead of "bride" (I swear, I just did it then, too), and it's driving me crazy.

Ah, Silver. Always a pleasure.


	3. The Wedding Night

**Chapter Three – The Wedding Night**

At the end of the party, which really was fun despite being for a fake cause, Ethan and I shook hands at the exit while people filed out the door. "Thank you for coming," we would both say in slightly monotonous voices, and sometimes we would switch it up and say, "Thank you for making our special day so wonderful." It was contrived, but it did the job, just like this whole thing.

My mom and Ethan's parents were the last to leave. They were carting bags of wedding gifts with the promise that they'd bring them to our apartment, but they set them aside to give us hugs and kisses.

"We'll bring these over tomorrow. I know you'll have a busy night, and we don't want to bother you," Ethan's mom told us, and I swallowed. The insinuation, which wasn't so much as an insinuation but a given for most newlyweds, made me a bit uncomfortable, and even Ethan shuffled his feet awkwardly beside me.

"Oh, that's okay, Mom." Ethan laughed, but it was just as forced as everything else. "You can just drop them off right now if you want… stop on by."

She waved her hands frantically, and my mom nodded in agreement with that rather violent display. "No, no, we want you kids to go home and just… have fun. There's no use cluttering your apartment with all of this stuff tonight." When Ethan opened his mouth to protest again, his mom continued, "We'll see you tomorrow. Have a good time. _Enjoy_ it."

I gritted my teeth as they picked up all of the presents again and headed off to their cars. We waved them off, and once they were out of sight and Ethan and I alone, I let my shoulders slump. Could that have been anymore awkward? What happened to the days when our parents were encouraging us to save ourselves? Suddenly they were like… sex-crazed.

Ugh. I shivered. The good thing about not having a father—one that I cared about or knew or was ever around—was that I didn't have to think about the possibility of my mom having sex all the time. I didn't doubt that she made it happen, but at least I didn't _know_ it was going on. But this made me look at Ethan's parents in a whole other light.

"Well…" Ethan began, and I frowned at him. "That was… something." He sighed, but he reached out to me and pulled me against his chest, wrapping me up in his arms so much more warmly than any of the hundreds of hugs that came before. It would've been nice if his mom hadn't just been encouraging us to go have sex. "Thank you, Lyra. I probably will never be able to make this up to you, but it means so much more than you know."

I wanted to tell him that he _would_ make it up to me, but the moment was too nice to ruin with a crack. So, I just hugged him back, burying my face in his chest and closing my eyes. We stood there for a minute, and I just breathed him in—the smell of his shirt, crisp and clean… the smell of his body, warm and a bit like soap.

Shit. Silver was right. I'd need to be careful. There was nothing stopping _me_ from falling in love with Ethan—Ethan just couldn't fall in love with me. I was the one who had everything to lose and whose heart would break if I let that happen.

I pushed myself away from my friend—my husband—and grabbed a Poké Ball from my clutch. "Let's go home," I requested, and he nodded.

We flew back to his apartment, which was old and plain and creaked when you stepped into the landing. But there were, at least, two bedrooms off the living-room-kitchen-dining-room-combo, each with its own bathroom. It wasn't a bad deal for two people, even if it did kind of smell like mildew and sweaty feet.

I kicked off my shoes and jumped onto the couch, bouncing up and down as Ethan took off his shoes a bit more carefully than I had.

"The wedding night," I noted, and Ethan glanced up at me in horror. "I want to watch a movie. Do you prefer… a cliché chick flick or a predictable horror film?"

When Ethan sat down on the couch, I stopped jumping. "Predictable horror film. It'll make me feel better about how this day went."

"Best wedding night ever," I assured him, and I ran to my room, changed into my pajamas, and grabbed the most predictable hacker-slasher movie I could find in the collection of DVDs I brought over from my house. When I returned to the living room, Ethan had grabbed some blankets and had thrown one over himself.

"Going to use that to hide behind?" I teased, and he stuck out his tongue at me.

"Nah, but I know you will."

I stuck my tongue out, too, and we smiled at each other. I didn't let myself linger for too long, though, and turned to set up the DVD. When it was ready, I sat on the other end of the couch from Ethan, curling into a ball and leaning my face against the armrest. It was only when a blanket flew over my head that I looked back at him.

"Thanks," I muttered quickly, spreading the sheet out over my body before turning my attention back to the movie.

I was the first to scream at the early jump-scare, and Ethan laughed at my flailing reaction. Normally, I would have made an effort to poke fun at him, but I decided that retorting now wouldn't be worth it.

But when the movie reached its climax, with increased action and increased thrills, the two of us both shouted at the possessed girl jumping into the screen. I stared at Ethan, and he stared at me—and the two of us burst out laughing. I rolled over, leaning towards him and smacking him on the arm, and he messed up my hair.

It was this moment that made me remember that we were best friends. We could sit in the same room screaming at stupid scary movies, after all. And maybe I could do that with a boyfriend—or a _husband_—but there was no way that I could ever view Ethan as anything but my friend. How could I ever think the opposite was true earlier? I must've been on something…

"I think I shit my pants," he joked.

"It's your couch."

We both laughed again, this time so hard that we missed the conclusion of the movie—somehow, the main characters escaped from their hell and made it back to their Pokémon, but I couldn't tell how. I didn't care. It felt like, for the first time in days, that we were just two friends hanging out again, and it felt _nice_.

And when that moment ended, I leaned back against the armrest and snuggled into it. "You know, Ethan. This might be all right."

He didn't respond, and I didn't sit up to see his reaction. I let the quiet settle between us and closed my eyes.

I woke up several hours later, only to find that I was no longer on the couch. Instead, I had been tucked into my bed and was snuggling against my pillow. When it hit me that Ethan must've brought me here, or else I'd been sleepwalking, I sat up.

"How fucking cliché," I grumbled, kicking my legs out from the covers and waiting there for a minute.

I slumped out of my room, rubbing my eyes as the brightness of the living room hit me. Ethan came into focus on the couch, like he had never moved from last night, but he was holding a bowl of cereal instead of the hem of the blanket. As I entered further into the room, he glanced up at me and saluted.

"Hey. My mom called, said she and your mom were coming over with the stuff at noon."

I groaned, slumping face-first down on the couch. I could just crawl back into bed and die now—that would be better than my mom coming over and silently (or not) judging me by thinking that I had sex with Ethan. Of course, considering that, I wondered if she thought I was a virgin prior to the-wedding-night-that-didn't-actually-happen.

I wasn't. Just to put it out there.

"You should probably make your bed. Just so, you know, it kind of looks more like a guest room rather than your bedroom," Ethan suggested, but I didn't move. I just groaned into the sofa seat, and two seconds later I felt his feet on my butt. "Move. It's already eleven-thirty, and my parents are notorious for being early."

Scowling, I finally rose back to my feet and smacked his head as I walked by. "Thanks for the heads up," I growled sarcastically, but he laughed despite this.

Without much of a choice, I picked up my room and moved a couple of items to Ethan's room for show. By the time I finished, our intercom buzzed, which didn't leave me enough time for a shower, but I hopped in and out, anyway.

"Hello, hello!" I called, still practically pulling my pants on as I stumbled out of the bathroom. I quickly fastened them and presented myself, only to be hugged by all three adults—Ethan's parents and my mom—which I didn't exactly expect. How did I suddenly become a part of his family? They never would have done this before…

"Oh, Lyra, you look radiant—absolutely radiant," Ethan's mom told me, and I smiled awkwardly. Why were parents always so painfully unsubtle?

And yet still completely ignorant of reality? I wanted to scream, _I did not sleep with your son last night!_ But I had a bit more tact than that. Barely. Besides, she would only be offended and ask why I didn't, I was sure.

To be honest, the fact that Ethan hadn't told his parents about the whole, you know, being gay thing bothered me. Were they the type of people who would disown him if he told them? Because if they were, then I'd disown them back. They loved him, and he loved them—I could tell that much. And if they would judge him because he happened to be attracted to guys, would all of that love seriously be revoked?

"We brought your gifts," his dad said, gesturing to the pile formed in the center of our living room. "We were hoping to bring you two out to lunch before you get to opening them, though."

"Oh." I continued to smile, but at this point it was practically a grimace in order to hide the intense psychological pain I was in. Torture. Absolute torture. "How lovely."

"Lyra, didn't you make plans with Silver?" Ethan asked pointedly.

When realization about Ethan's plan set in, I nodded, snapping my fingers a bit too dramatically. "Ah, you're right, honey. I _did_ make plans with Silver—last night while we were at the party. You saw how he left early, right, Mom? We promised to hang out today because he forgot to give me his wedding gift."

My mom made no effort to hide her confusion and skepticism. "Really? I saw a gift addressed from him. The big one." She pointed to the largest of the bags in the back.

_Damn you, Silver,_ I cursed in my head,_ for finally not being worthless_. Why'd he have to fail me now?

"He has another one?" I said—so hesitantly that it came out more like a question.

The room went silent for a moment, and I smiled again, trying my best to come off as the innocent girl I wasn't.

"I understand," my mom finally breathed, as if everything was suddenly coming together. I wished it would come together for me, too, but… fuck it, this whole week was a disaster, anyway. "The two of them just want to be alone. I was like that when I got married, too. I barely saw my parents for a whole week!"

Oh no, oh no… I was going to vomit. I was absolutely going to vomit. I could feel it rising in my throat.

"Gosh, we were, too. Sorry, sorry, we'll get out of your way," Ethan's mom added.

Yep, it was coming up…

"But first," my mom started, a bit more quietly, and she walked closer to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "I've been meaning to ask you something, Lyra. Do you mind if I have a word with you in private before I leave?"

I swallowed whatever vile thing was rising from my stomach and nodded, and my mom tugged on my arm and pulled me to my bedroom—er, the guest room, whatever. Once she closed the door behind us, she glanced around the room and hummed her approval. Yeah, she better like it after all the effort it took to drag stuff to Ethan's room.

"Listen, Lyra…" My mom sighed, and when she looked up at me, I couldn't tell if her eyes were just shiny or if she had tears in them. "Honey, I'm so happy for you. But I can't help but wonder—as do Ethan's parents… are you pregnant, Lyra? Is that why you and Ethan wanted to elope? Are expecting a child together?"

And… there was the nausea again.

"Mom!" I practically shouted, running a hand over my face in horror. "I'm not pregnant!"

"Well, honey, it's so much more common than you think. You were conceived out of wedlock, but, of course, your father and I had already been engaged at that point—so there was plenty of time for the wedding, and I wasn't even showing," my mom rambled, and I wanted to block my ears. Everything I never wanted to know about my mother… "People can't help but be… curious. Elopement is most common when pregnancy is involved."

"No, no—no, a million times, no!" Holy crap, the things parents talked about behind their kids' backs. "Mom, I'm not pregnant, I swear."

She nodded, and I gestured to the door. "Okay, okay," she muttered, as though disappointed by the fact that I _wasn't_ going to supply her with a grandchild to spoil, and I shook my head as she left the room.

I needed to get back to the gym. All this wedding hoopla was starting to take a toll on me…

* * *

**Author's Note:** I just started my first big-girl job today (yay!), so from this point forward, updates on my fics might get a tad slower. Probably not too much, though. In fact, I'm hoping that my updates will stay at about the same rate or so—I just figured I ought to warn you ahead of time in case they do take a bit longer.


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